Furniture and like caster



April 22, 1930. s -s w ET AL FURNITURE AND LIKE CASTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1925 /NVENT02S.

HENRY Hale SHAW Thomas BEAHAM April 22, 1930. 5, HELE-SHAW ET AL 1,755,670

FURNITURE AND LIKE CASTER Filed March 12, 1925 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N\/ENTOQS! HENRY S HELE- SHAW Ho MAS E. Bepcmm April 22, 1930. s, -s w ET AL FURNITURE AND LIKE CASTER 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 12, 1925 Patented Apr. 22, 1930 ATENT tor-r ging .HENBY sELBy HELErSH-AW. A-Nn THOMAS-EDWARD jBEA CHAM, or LONDON, .ENGLAND V j FIJTBNITIIRE AND LIKE cAsTER Application filecfMarch 1-2, i925, Serial No. 14,907,v and in site: 311mm August 27, 51924.

This invention rel-ates to casters having a hall :bearingfor its vertical or-swivelling-axis, and has for its obj set to provide an improved construction of this i type of caster wherein the easy running and accurate rolling of:

the'ballsimtheirraces is secured. The mechanical difliculty in :any'caster of this type is to obtain a vertical-pivot or-axis of suiiicient lengthto obviatetheihindingefiectcaused by the unavoidabletvvisting action when thecaster' carries a load. Thereis also'the'di fticulty of securing suflicient diameter of the vertical- 7 pin to ensurestrength, unless the pivot is made inconveniently long so as to avoid the locking of thevertical pivot in its bearing.

Accordingtothe present invention the ball races of the swivelling axis are not madeas heretofore with: the ftransverse radius of 1 the section of the race of the .sameradi-us as-the balls, but Witha greater radius, so that the bearing of=the ballson the races-Will be substantially along circular lines, that'isnot on surfaces of-any'great width. I

Another feature ot the invention isthe provision o'f aegrease retaining cup'fbelowthel ball racesaand"extending 'across the' svvivelling or roller 'carrying 'po'rtion of the master. I V

' A furtherfeature of the invention is the construction ofa swivell'ing -caster -wherein the wholeof the-stresses'in al-l directions are taken up by the ball'sin' the races and none of them taken-upf by :the sides of: the swivelling socket. r The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view illustrating the principle of constructionof the concave surfaces-of the'ballraces, 7 I v fZEigu-reQ a sectional view ofa castermade' in accordance vvith' the invention, I

ZFig: 3a frent vieW- of Figure2,' I "Fig.4a-detailofFigure-Q; Fig. 5 a, sectionalview-of a, modified coni struction of the j fixi ng member 'of the caster carrying the fixe'd bal'l race.

"Figure 6 a-plan-of Figure5, r FFigure-"Z a sectional view of a further modification of ithe-ffixingmeniher carryingfthe fixed ball race, g Y Figure 8 a plan'of -Figure fl I anceare Figure 9' a sectional vievl of another inedification of the fixing member carrying'the I fixed ball race, V r

Fig. 10 a sectional View of an alternative construction of the caster.

According to the present invention-the bearing surface ofeach race 6 and 7 consists of twoyquadrants 2 and 3'as shown in-Fig. l the centres of the v quadrants making with: the centre of the ball 9 angles 0'f45 with the horizontal. -Whi le-it'- is not necessary that these angles'should be it is necessary-that they should be'both-fatthe same angle to'the horizontal in order that the ball may touch-at two points onthe race which are in the' same 'vertical plane and vso avoid rubbing as the race rotates round :a vertical axis. "Itwi'll heseen that by this construction the distance be tween the points of contact of the b'allsavith the races' 'i-s 'the same no, matter inwhich direction the ball: is required to-tr-ansmitits thrust and -that therefore all differential speedofthe balls iseliminatedt T Further it will be noted that radial and vertical clearing' j amming.

approximately-equal thereby re nedy- By reason of the construction shown in this figure-and the fact that the load onthe roller is never coaxi'atwith the swivel'linglaxia the balls atthe *side of: the bearing immediately above the roller takefup a hearing at 1 two points a and b one in each race 6 andYTvvhile the hallsat the opposite side otthe-beating take up a bearing at four points a de and ftwodneachracet an d7. I v

The fixi g member of the -caster may' be a cup 18 asshowvn Fi-gH resQ' and-fi ter fitting on =theleg ot-a piece otfurnitnreor the like,

or it-may be atuhe 19 as shown in Figuresfi,

' lustrated -is the provision of a grease cup 55 in which the balls ro l'l and a sma'llcircular gap 8 between the two races 6 and '7-W-hich is the only place-at whie'hth-e atmosphere can comincomplete race then finished with the balls between the two races but. as an additional prevention in all cases the top race 7 is turned over "horizontally just above the vertical gap making the gap in cross section the shape of an inverted letter L. V

In the case of casters in which-at least one race 1s made of sheet metal as shown 1n Figures to 9 the balls may be inserted before oneof the races is completely formed and the in place. This may be ing or splnning. V

In every case 1t necessary to provide the done either by presscaster with a wheelof sufficient diameter to travel easily over carpet or other roughnesses on the floor which t may encounter and to displace the wheel at a sufficient distancefrom the vertical axis of the caster, to enable'the caster to trail promptly. T Gn the other hand the races being circular the natural easy thing to doin the case ofpressed metal casters is to makethe lower half approximately in the form of a tube. Now it is a practical impossibility to fit the caster wheel or roller within.

S thetube without making the wheel too small scribedat its lower extremity. The cylinder or the tube too large and this dificulty is overcome'by making the wheel pass through the sides of the tube. One method of'doing this is to pierce a hole 13 in the tube (see Fig. 4) approximately triangular in shape and to bend outwards the two cheeks 14 and 15 thus formed which may then be drilled to sup-.

port the axle 16 of the caster wheel or roll- 7' The upper portions of casters must be such as to easily fit the legs or other portions of the furniture whichthey are to support. We

therefore make one form in the shapeof a cylinder 18 or 19, with a ball race 7 as demay be slightly conical to fit outside a wooden table leg, see Figure 2, or, as in Figures 5., 7 and 9vto fit within a circular hole, and may be constructed with a conicalportion 20 see Fig. 9 just above the ball race to j am into the hole and may have its upper-extremity slit at 21 and splayed out to act as a spring to hold it in position. The top ball race may be fittedwith prongs 23 see Figs. 5 to 8 which turn up and bite into the furniture to prevent the tophalf rotating, and in conjunction with the prongs 23 there may be a flat circular or partly circular, portion 24 to support a ring 25 see Fig. 5 fitting round the outside of a leg of the furniture.

In the'construction shown in Figure2 the upper cup 18 is provided with a disc-or cup fitting tightly in the restricted portion formed by the race 7, and serving to prevent any dirt that may have accumulated in the cup 18 from falling into the grease cup 5, a similar dirt cup or disc 30 is provided in Figures 5, 7 and 9.

- In this, example the outer race 6 is formed partly on the roller carrying tube 31 and part- 1y on the edge of the grease cup 5, the edges of the latter fitting tightly in a groove 32pmvided in the inner surface of the'tube'31. In

Fig. 10 the fixing member of Fig. 5 is combined with the swivelling member of Fig. 2.

\Vhatwe claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent is i 1. .Aroller caster having a ball bearing on its vertical axis, a fixing member carrying one of the races of, the'ball bearing, a swiv- "elling member. carrying the roller and the other race of the ball bearing, eachrace of the ball bearing consisting of a two-sided groove, the two racesbeing of such a size that they will not engage all the balls at four pointspthose immediately above the roller being engaged at'two points and those at diametrically opposite points intherace being engaged at four points.

2. r A roller caster in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ball races are of different diameters and each side of each two-sided groove in the ball races is curved to aradius greater than that of the balls of the bearing and the ball races are of such a size as not to form a four point bearing on all the balls simultaneously. V 3. A roller caster having a ball bearing on its vertical axis, a fixing cup at the lower end of which is formed a two-sided grooved ball race, and a tubular swivelling member carrying the roller and in the upper end of which is formed a two-sided grooved ball race oppositely disposed and ofra difierent diameter to that in the fixing cup, each side ofeach two-sided groove in the ball races being curved to a radius greater than that of the balls of the bearing. i 1. A roller caster having a ball bearing on its vertical axis and comprising a grease cup, a fixing member at the lower end of which is fofrmedtheinner .race of the ball bearing, and a swivelling member consisting of a tubular member having at the inside of its up per end the other race ofthe ball bearing, the grease cup having its upper edge above the lower portion of the balls being fixedin the swivelling member insuch a position immediately under the balls that they will extend into the grease, therein.

1 5. A roller caster having a ball bearing on portion of the balls being held by its edges extending into a groove formed in the swivelling member in such a position asto hold the grease cup Wltllthfi grease therein in contact to form a ball bearing, the curvature of the partial ball races being such as to ensure point contact oft-he balls in the ball race, and a lubrication space between the bottom face of the fixing member and the top face of the roller carrying member.

In Witness whereof We affix our signatures HENRY SELBY HELE-SHAW. THOMAS EDWARD BEACHAM. 

